Meat is the star of any barbecue meal—that much is undisputed. But while carefully cooked pork, brisket, ribs, and chicken garner the most attention, side dishes are anything but ephemeral. These accompaniments add flavor and dimension to the meal, subduing a sweet heat or lightening a rich, fatty sauce. In the words of Matthew Statham, general manager of SAW’s BBQ, “if your barbecue is just meat, it’s missing something.”
A 20-year culinary veteran, Statham joined the SAW’s team six years ago and brings culinary expertise, as well as family recipes, to the original Homewood restaurant that serves more than a thousand orders each week.
“Our biggest-selling, quintessential accompaniment would definitely be our coleslaw,” Statham says. “We have a real [flavorful] sauce, so the vinegar in that coleslaw cuts that pork fat really, really well.”
While SAW’s Soul Kitchen in Avondale and SAW’s Juke Joint in Crestline offer “composed” dishes of meat-and-side pairings, the Homewood store is all about personal preference. The turnip greens, made with bacon, onions, seasoning salt, and topped with barbecue sauce, is a top-seller, despite being one of the least complicated dishes. “That’s the biggest thing with us: We just try not to screw it up,” Statham says. “We try to elevate it a little bit, make sure it’s right, but don’t church it up too much.”
Barbecue restaurants offer plenty of atypical sides, like broccolini pasta salad or grilled corn fritters, but Statham says as long as it complements the overall meal and isn’t “different just to be different,” there are no wrong choices. Depending on the region, certain sides like hot slaw, hush puppies, chow-chow (pickled vegetable relish), or Cajun-style boudin sausage are not uncommon.
Growing up in barbecue country, Statham learned countless traditions and recipes alongside his family in the kitchen, some of which—like his grandmother’s fried green tomatoes—have found their way onto the menu at SAW’s.
Though SAW’s meat entrées come from founder Mike Wilson’s North Carolina upbringing, most, if not all, of the sides originate in Alabama—literally. All of SAW’s vegetables are grown 30 minutes away by local farm J&S Produce.
In the summertime, seasonal sides like peas, sliced peaches, fried okra, and watermelon join the menu for a sweet, crisp flavor, while heavier sides like baked beans, corn, and sweet potato pie often are served in the winter.
“I think our potato salad is sneaky good—it looks the same, but it’s got a little more vinegar sharpness to it,” Statham says. “I’m a big fan of the cheese grits that we do; that’s something different but it plays well, and it’s got the warm, fatty creamy element to it like the mac and cheese does.”
Grain-based accoutrements like buns and rolls also are staples, but Statham argues bread can make the barbecue a little too heavy and drown out the flavor. His solution? Wrap some coleslaw in cooked chicken skin and slather it in sauce for an easy, savory snack.
Cornbread, on the other hand, makes for a fantastic pairing, Statham says. For a jolt of sugar after the rich, fatty barbecue takes over, desserts like banana pudding or peach cobbler always satisfy. But the best part about barbecue?
“You don’t leave hungry. There’s always plenty of food.”
SAW’s Coleslaw
½ cup white sugar
½ cup white vinegar
1/8 cup oil
1/8 cup water
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1/3 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 pound diced coleslaw mix
1½tablespoons sweet relish
1/3 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1. Combine first six ingredients in a sauce pot, heat, stirring frequently, until all solids are dissolved.
2. Place coleslaw mix, sweet relish, celery salt, and kosher salt in a large heatproof bowl. Top with liquid mixture and stir to combine; let cool.
SAW’s Turnip Greens
4 ounces bacon, cut into ¼” pieces
2 1/2 pounds chopped and rinsed turnip greens
1 yellow onion, julienned
1 1/2 quarts water
1 teaspoon Lawry’s seasoned salt
1 cup SAW’s sauce or other favorite barbecue sauce
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1. In a large pot, cook bacon until crisp; add onions and sweat until soft.
2. Add greens and all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then lower to simmer; cook until greens are tender, approximately 1½ hours. Adjust seasoning as needed with sauce and seasoned salt.
Bob Syke’s Pecan Pie
This pie has helped end meals at Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q since 1957.
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
Cream or whole milk
3 eggs
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup dark cane sugar syrup
1 cup pecan pieces
1 (9-inch) pie crust, homemade or store-bought
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine butter and brown sugar, adding enough cream to get a smooth texture.
3. Whisk eggs separately and blend with the butter-sugar mixture. Stir in cornstarch, salt, and vanilla. Then stir in cane syrup. Finally, stir in pecans.